Healthy Spirit Club E-Module #1

RESTING METABOLISM

What is a resting metabolism?
Regardless of your activity level, a minimum level of energy is required to sustain the body's everyday functions. The body obtains energy from calories. Resting metabolism, the amount of calories needed to supply the body with the minimum level of energy, differs between individuals depending on variables such as age, weight, body composition, and energy expenditure.

How does resting metabolism relate to weight loss?
Once you know your approximate resting metabolism, you can choose the amount of calories consumed to determine weight loss or gain. If you exceed your resting metabolism consistently you will gain weight. However, if you incur a slight daily deficit of calories over a period of time, you can lose weight.

What factors affect my resting metabolism?

• Physical Activity: The most profound way to increase your resting metabolism which can account for an increase up to 10 times resting levels during big muscle exercise.
  
• Dietary-Induced Thermogenesis : Digestion of food requires energy. Depending on the type of food you may require up to 35% of the total calories for digestion (i.e. protein requires more calories to digest than fat).
  
• Breakfast: Eating breakfast accounts for a resting metabolism that is 10% higher during the day than when no breakfast is eaten.
  
• Body Composition : An individual with more lean body mass will have a higher resting metabolism than a counterpart with high levels of body fat.
  

What Is Your Resting Metabolism?

Women: Resting Metabolism = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kilograms) + (1.85 x height in centimeters) - (4.7 x age)

Men: Resting Metabolism = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kilograms) + (5 x height in centimeters) - (6.8 x age)

One pound = 3500 calories

1 inch = 2.54 cm

1 kg = 2.2 lbs

Therefore, if you consume approximately 200 calories per day less than your resting metabolism and exercise regularly (ending at a deficit of 300 calories per day) you will lose 1 pound of fat loss per week!

Step by step example:

A 45 year old, 200 pound, 5'5" tall woman would have a metabolism of:

First, convert to metric:

200 pounds/2.2 = 90.9 kilograms

5'5" = 65" x 2.54 = 165 centimeters

Now, plug in numbers for the formula for women and solve within the parentheses first!

Resting Metabolism = 655 + (9.6 x 90.9) +

(1.85 x 165) - (4.7 x 45)

= 655 + (872.6) + (305.2) - 211.5

= 1621

So, this woman will burn about 1600 calories per day if she sits on the couch. Any activity will increase expenditure and all food eaten will count toward intake.

If she eats 1900 calories on a given day and burns 200 at the gym, she will have accumulated an excess of 100 calories for that day. On the other hand, if she eats 1500 and burns 200 at the gym (expenditure 1800), her daily net will be -300. If she did this for 12 days, she would lose one pound of fat (3500 calories). This is why it is difficult to gain or lose more than 2-3 pounds of fat per month. Any additional weight change is probably attributable to fluid retention and perhaps some muscle gain/loss.
Reference: Sports Medicine in Science and Exercise

RESTING METABLISM CALCULATOR

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